Mom 'n Me Monday... Vacay Edition

...to be truthful, we're not so much on vacation as we are unemployed.  Well, okay we're not even that... we're on "terminal leave" from the Navy and our new job doesn't begin until the beginning of June.  Basically it means that all of our time off that we didn't use over the last 5 years in the Navy gets lumped together and we get a month-long paid vacation.

It rocks.

We've never really had this much down time before - and certainly not with the girls around - so we're absolutely making the most of it.  I feel like our whole family is on a honeymoon!  AND we're incredibly lucky because the area to which we've moved has an astounding array of awesome things for families to do.  Since we arrived, we've gone to a railroad museum to visit Thomas during A Day Out With Thomas, we've gone to the zoo, we've gone to parks, we've gone shopping and planted berry bushes, we've gone sight-seeing and take nightly walks and bake artisan bread from scratch.

I could get used to this...

So, that's how I've got a photo of me with each of my kiddos this week - we've been together the whole time for Justin to be able to snap a picture at each of the different places we've visited so far.

  Jack, Thomas and me

Jordan, some goat at the zoo and me.  We couldn't get her to look at the camera so long as the animals were nearby.

Addie was not such a big fan of the goats...

... so I made up for it with lots of snuggles at the park!

These days, I'm feelin' pretty fortunate.  

Wanna post your own or see more fun photos?  Sweeeeet - head over to The Peanut Gallery for...

You Know You're a Mom When-sDaze

http://www.arizonamamma.com/My bud, Arizona Mamma, has a really fun deal where we celebrate those tidbits of life that make us as Mommies unique and make our lives amusing and funny (even amidst the stress).

For me, many times, I know, without a doubt, that I am "Mommy" first and anything else second when I listen to the absurd things that come out of my mouth on a daily basis...  Not in the sense that I say things like, "Addie, please get your finger out of Jordan's belly button!" or "Jack!  Stop driving McQueen on Jordan's head!", but in the sense that I seem to have issues turning off my Mommode and switching to Adultmode.

For instance:

"Honey," (to my husband in a hushed voice at an adults-only event) "I need to go potty... be right back."

I ask to be excused from the table, even if there are no little ears to be taught an example.

I often default to turning on the Disney channel before navigating to a channel I want to watch.  And I go BACK to Disney if there's nothing else on before I switch off the TV.

"I just want something simple and comforting for dinner tonight, Babe.  Let's have chicken nuggets!"

"Yes there's a giant spider on the wall.  No I don't know what it is.  It's just yucky." (Keep in mind I have two degrees in liberal arts and "yucky" certainly would have gotten any one of my 1000's of papers tossed in the garbage.)

"Um, no, it's night-night time, but if YOU want to stay up to watch the game, that's fine."

Regardless of who's in the car with me, I do not "go someplace" in the car.  I "do buh-byes".

I could go on and on about how I've integrated into my vocabulary the language of toddlers, but I risk letting slip an "owie" or two.

Besides, I have to go potty.

My Mommy

It is, of course, the eve of Mother's Day, and I've been thinking quite a bit about my mom lately.  Part of it is me wondering, as Justin and I get swarmed by our kiddos - all crying (us included) - how she managed to raise my two siblings and me.  Another part of it is the fact that my family has moved (again) and yet we're still no closer to her.

It's alright.  It is.  My family and I are just doing what she raised me to do.  I'm being the woman she taught me to be and the mother she inspires me daily to become.  It doesn't necessarily make it easy when I'm weighed down with stress and I just want someone to watch my kids so I can have 4 margaritas make me a solid lunch of Spaghetti-O's, burrito with butter and a pickle.

She is one hell of a woman, my mom.  Everything I know about being a woman, wife and mother, I know from her - her triumphs and her failures and all the moments in between that qualify as neither.  She's been my mentor and friend and her strength is unbelievable.  She was with me the moment I became a mother for the first time, and she has been - and will always be - with me every step of the way ever since.  I've learned so much from her, even if sometimes it's what not to do... And probably more important than that, I've learned that I'm going to make my own mistakes - it's just that I can appreciate her all the more for all those I don't have to make. 

She's given me a work ethic that my family can always count on.

She's shown me how to love unconditionally.

She's allowed me to grow and to learn and to experience life for myself.

She's guided me through the crazy whirlwind of motherhood.

She's supported me in each decision I've made.

She's provided me with a shoulder.

And she's nurtured me to the point where I can no longer extricate where my identity begins and her influence ends.

I didn't get her a card for Mother's Day.  I didn't send flowers or a mug or anything like that.  The only gift I can give her that in any way could show her how much she means to me is to prove to her that I'm a woman of whom she can be proud.  I just want to be half the mother she's been.  I want her to know that I love her in such a profound and belly-torquing way that there is no other way to convey it but by showing her. 

I love you, Mu.  Thank you for being my Mommy.

Hi, From Tennessee!

I know it has been forever and I'm so sorry - I miss you all!  I haven't been able to read or comment on my favorite blogs, participate in my favorite memes or post anything at all for the last little bit because of our move to Tennessee.

BUT, though I've still got some stuff to finish up before I can really get back into the game, I wanted to assure you that I'm still here, baby!

I've got lots of fun pictures, some reflections on our Naval career and on my amazing friendships, and some funny stories for you from our 600 mile move that I'll post over the next week or so. 

For now, though, I'm off to enjoy having my hubby's parents around for a few more days and enjoy not having many responsibilities beyond making the most of family time.  It is really really awesome... I mean, sure, I've got a house full of boxes haphazardly stacked in barely controlled chaos as well as a mile-long list of stuff to buy at Lowe's, mysteriously non-functional laundry roomS, and a highly suspect yard full of hay(?) to figure out, but what else is a Monday good for if not dealing with that junk?  I think I'll just take my quiet, peaceful, giggle-filled Sunday instead.

See ya soon!

Black and White Wednesday

Check out these beautiful blossoms! They're just the way I prefer my spring flowers: preserved as a photograph, pollen-free!

I mean, I love spring and all, but this year Mother Nature decided her World looked better with a coat or two of yellow paint and consequently my eyes, nose and throat are rebelling against me in every way imaginable.  It's lovely, but I'm ready to sink my teeth into summer.

So what do you think of the editing? I used Lightroom 2 and realized that I could spend an hour or more on a single picture so I stopped and that's the result.

Anyway, play along with everyone at The Long Road to China!

Mom 'n Me Monday

My friend Crystal took these photos of me with the kiddos when the babies were only 7 weeks old... I had no idea how much they'd mean to me later, as we're tipping the scales at 11 months now.  I have so few photos with me and the girls as infants - any of the kids - and I'm already sad.

That's why Mom 'n Me Monday is awesome.

Though, it defeats the purpose to always use old pictures.

(Cut me some slack, we're moving and trying to clean up the house and yard here while finding a new place to live!)

Anyway, head over to the Peanut Gallery to play along!

Raw(e) SHOES!

So Sami at Sailor & Company does Raw(e) to challenge us to take great photos with NO editing... I mean, editing is tons of fun, but every once in awhile, it's refreshing to not touch the picture - not even cropping - and see how it turns out.

This week her theme is shoes, which for me, is useless since I own a pair of boots, about two pairs of heels and a billion pairs of ratty flip flops.  I'd just rather be barefoot. 

The babies are too wee for shoes just yet, but Jack has a wicked shoe collection... too bad all he wants to wear are Crocs (yuck) because he can put those on by himself.  So, when he wore his badass DC skate sneaks with his Christmas shirt and jeans to have his school photo taken, I was really excited.  He looked like such a little frat boy and that totally fits his goofball personality.  I was actually trying to get him to sit still so I could tie the shoes after school when I realized how endearing it is that they're always untied. 

Head on over to join in or check out the other unedited works of photography magic!